(Men of Lancaster County #1)
by Eli Easton
Blurb:
David Fisher has lived by the rules all his life. Born to a Mennonite family, he obeyed his father and took over the family farm, married, and had two children. Now with both his kids in college and his wife deceased, he runs his farm alone and without joy, counting off the days of a life half-lived.
Christie Landon, graphic designer, Manhattanite, and fierce gay party boy, needs a change. Now thirty, he figures it’s time to grow up and think about his future. When his best friend overdoses, Christie resolves to take a break from the city. He heads to a small house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to rest, recoup, and reflect.
But life in the country is boring despite glimpses of the hunky silver fox next door. When Christie’s creativity latches on to cooking, he decides to approach his widower neighbor with a plan to share meals and grocery expenses. David agrees, and soon the odd couple finds they really enjoy spending time together.
Christie challenges the boundaries of David’s closed world and brings out feelings he buried long ago. If he can break free of the past, he might find a second chance at happiness.
Available in Paperback
Excerpt
It
was Saturday and the idea of doing more cleaning held little appeal. What else
did he have to do with himself? Nothing. The temptation to go into Lancaster or
Harrisburg was there, to seek out a gay bar, or even get on Grindr. Gay men had
to exist out here. But… that wasn’t why he moved here. He came here to get away
from all that for a little while.
His
mind made up, he went to the grocery store in town with a long list. It was a
big-chain grocery store, and he was pleased to find nearly everything he
needed. The October day was bright with crisp leaves and a blue sky. When he
got back home with his sacks of goodies, it was still early afternoon. He
opened the windows in the kitchen—struggling against the one over the sink that
stuck—turned up the music on his iPhone, and started dancing around, organizing
his supplies and digging out pots and pans.
He
made the curried carrot ginger soup, a lovely dish with fresh peas, green
onion, and radishes, some savory cheese-and-herb swirled biscuits, and a basic
herb-roasted chicken. He truly did love to cook, though the past few years, it
never seemed worth the effort. There were so many great takeout places in the
East Village. Plus Kyle was such a picky eater. He basically ate pizza and
stripped-down salads, and that was it.
It
occurred to Christie while he was prepping this meal that it was going to be a
beautiful repast, and it was a shame he didn’t have anyone to share it with. He
could freeze some of it, but it wouldn’t be the same. He thought of David next
door, living alone, and of his TV dinner. Would that be weird? That would be
weird, right?
Pushing
it from his mind, Christie spent the rest of the afternoon jamming to tunes in
the kitchen and working his way through the recipes, having fun and dancing in
his stocking feet.
When
everything was ready, Christie decided the meal deserved some pomp and
circumstance. His aunt had a drawer of tablecloths, but they were not quite his
style. He used a white linen towel for a place mat and put each dish on the
table in the best china dishes he could find. He used a red cut glass for his
water and lit a candle in an old silver candlestick he found in the cupboard.
He
looked at the table and chewed his lip. Everything looked beautiful. It smelled
amazing too. He sucked some chicken juice from his thumb—yum. It almost seemed like a waste to eat it. He wished someone
were here to share the meal with him. Anyone, really. The idea he’d avoided
thinking about while cooking poked its head out again.
Well.
He’d never been exactly shy. If he was going to do this, he had to do it
quickly. The food was getting cold.
With
a nervous shake of his head, Christie decided. He cut the roast chicken in half
and put it on a large plate with a little bit of everything else, covered it
with aluminum foil, and ran out the back door.
He
hadn’t been to the Fisher’s farm before, and it turned out to be a longer trip
down the gravel lane than he anticipated, maybe a quarter mile. He kept up a
jog, worried about the food getting ruined. Between that and his nerves, he had
a fine sheen of sweat when he got there.
David’s
farm was beautiful. The white barn Christie had seen from a distance was huge
and picturesque. It made Christie’s fingers itch to draw it. The farmhouse was
fieldstone with black shutters. Electric candles in the windows gave it a cozy
Colonial air and made Christie realize how dark it was getting outside. Why
hadn’t he grabbed his coat? It was fucking freezing. He was an idiot—a
shivering idiot at the moment.
Determined
to drop off his gift without further delay, he marched to the back door and
firmly knocked.
Enthusiastic
barking commenced. More than one dog—two or three. Christie felt a little
nervous. He liked dogs, but these farm dogs might be territorial. And he
was holding a plate of chicken. He might as well have bathed in bacon
grease.
A
deep voice silenced the dogs and the door opened. David’s face looked stern and
worn for a moment, but when he recognized Christie, a smile softened it. “Oh,
hi.”
“Hi.
Sorry to bother you, but I spent the day cooking, and I made all this food. No
way can I eat it all, so I thought I’d bring you a plate. You know, to make up
for causing you to burn your dinner the other day, fixing my smoke detector and
all.” God, he was overdoing it! Shut up,
Christie.
“Oh.”
David looked surprised. He glanced at the foil-covered plate in Christie’s
hand. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I
was bored.” Christie’s shrug turned into a shiver. He held out the plate. His
mouth was dry. He was starting to wish he hadn’t done this.
There
was a reserve about David, a way he kept himself at arm’s length. Christie
sensed that when David stopped by his house, but he put it down to the fact
they were strangers. The vibe was stronger here, on David’s turf. Christie felt
like an intruder standing at the back door. David was looking at the plate with
an unreadable expression. Please just take it.
Then
the wind shifted and a delicious aroma billowed up. David’s face grew curious.
“Roast chicken?”
“Yeah.
It was from a Thanksgiving magazine. I made some sides too.”
Suddenly
David moved. “Heck, you must be freezing. Come inside.”
“Thanks.
I can’t stay. I just wanted to drop this off.” But Christie was stepping inside
as he spoke, welcoming any relief from the cold air.
“River.
Tonga. Sit.” David shut the door. The dogs sat obediently. One was a golden
retriever and the other a large furry black mix of some kind.
“Tonga?”
Christie asked.
“It’s
an island,” David said with an adorably bashful duck of his head. He took the
plate from Christie and raised the foil, looked at it, and smelled. “This looks
really good. You made this?”
“Sure.
I just followed the recipes.” But David’s words made Christie feel infinitely
better about bringing it by. “Well. I’ll leave you to eat it before it gets
cold. I have mine back at the house.”
“Thanks.
It beats the heck out of frozen food.” David sounded sincere. He put the plate
on the counter. “Hang on.” He opened up an accordion door in the hall,
revealing an overstuffed closet with a collection of coats, hats, and shoes. He
selected a black woolen pea coat with large buttons and pulled it out. “You’re
going to freeze to death.”
“It
was stupid not to wear my coat. I didn’t realize it was so far over here.”
David
got an amused smile, but he wasn’t looking directly into Christie’s eyes, so he
still seemed uncomfortable. Instead of handing Christie the coat, though, he
held it open and moved behind Christie.
Christie
blinked. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had helped him into a coat.
He held back his arms and let David slip the coat onto him. It fit in the
shoulders okay, but it was big around the waist and hips. David turned Christie
in a matter-of-fact way and started doing up the buttons.
Christie’s
eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. What the hell? Did David think he
was a child? But there was something titillating about being taken care of, or
maybe it was David’s proximity, his handsome face focused on his task, his
rough hands so close to Christie’s body.
Yes,
it was definitely the proximity. Wow, David was a good-looking man. Who knew
rugged could be so hot? And to think of all the money Christie had spent on grooming!
There
were only five buttons, and when David finished the last of them, just below
Christie’s chin, he looked up and saw Christie’s face. He suddenly blushed, his
nose and cheeks going red. He dropped his hands and took a step back. “Sorry.
That was… sorry.”
“I
didn’t mind.” Oh God, Christie’s voice had dropped in register and sounded
rumbly to his own ears. That was a smexy voice! What the hell was he doing?
“Um… thanks for the jacket, David. I’ll bring it back later.”
“No
hurry.” David was avoiding his gaze again.
Christie
yanked the door open, escaped the house with a silly little wave, and walked
fast back to his aunt’s place.
Once
inside he found his own food was only tepidly warm, but still flavorful and
delicious. The herb glaze on the chicken was to die for, and it went
beautifully with the floury-cheesy biscuits and the curried soup. He hoped
David liked it too.
He
kept the coat on while he ate, snuggling into the fabric and holding the collar
close under his chin. It smelled of earth and hay, a slight trace of motor oil,
and the smell of a working man—piney, sweaty, and altogether appealing.
He
remained in the coat all through dinner. But only because he was cold.
4.5 out of 5 stars
A Second Harvest is the first book in a new contemporary series by author Eli Easton.
I'll admit I wasn't sure what to expect with this story from the blurb. I mean, yes, I knew there would be a love story but I wasn't sure how David's religion would play into the story. Would he be seriously guilt ridden, would it be a story of one step forward, five steps back, or would it cause a lot of drama or angst? To answer that question well it's kind of a yes to all three scenarios but not in such a way that it loses the ultimate thread of the friends to lovers romance.
David isn't really conflicted with his religious beliefs so much as he is realizing that he's always followed what he was told he needed to do. As a child he followed what his parents said, including when his mom said it was time to marry, he got married and had children. When he was married, he followed what his wife wanted, until she passed away. Now in his 40's he is has the rare opportunity to reset his life and start over. Although when we meet David, he doesn't see a path for himself outside of living on his farm, doing the chores, and has realized that his children no longer need him and have grown up. He's a bit lost, and almost feels like he's at the point of just making it through every day to get to the next day.
Christie comes to Lancaster County after having had the scare of his life and promising himself to change things. He moves into his aunt's home after inheriting it with the intention of cleaning it out to get ready to sell it. But it also gives him the perfect place to re-evaluate what he was doing with himself. He meets David after he comes over to talk about leasing acreage on his aunt's land and is attracted to him almost immediately. But believing that David is straight, he decides having him for a friend is better than being lonely while he's there.
The change that gradually comes over both Christie and David is beautiful, just to see them both explore what is happening. Particularly David, who realizes that he doesn't have to hide himself away at least from Christie. What really makes it all work, is the joy in the small things between them, the utter wonder and ease of connection that they develop as the story progresses really is poignant. You aren't sure at first how David is going to overcome his upbringing, and the fact that he has two grown children that are both still deeply mired within the Mennonite faith. Will he risk the possibility of losing himself by staying alone, or will he risk the possibility of losing his children by telling them his feelings for Christie.
Overall this was a sweet (yes even with the steamy sex between them), tender, and overwhelmingly lovely romance to read. There was just enough angst, and conflict to keep the story moving forward and more then enough steam between Christie and David to make their relationship work. I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner scenes because it gave David an escape from his everyday life, and allowed Christie to do something special for him. The story itself was well paced, with great primary and secondary characters. I would have liked a little more story at the end about the resolution with David and his children but I'm very okay with where the story itself ended.
I look forward to the rest of this series and where the author goes from this book.
About The Author
As an avid reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
You can find Eli at
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